Mobile apps in your car dashboard by the end of the year

The MyLink system is already operational in some models, but GM has now flagged apps will be available in some cars by the end of the year, which work without the need for smartphones or tablets.
Photo: GM

Car makers are set to muscle in on the burgeoning popularity of mobile apps, with
General Motors
confirming that certain models of cars will ship with on-board apps by the end of this year.

Speaking to technology website Cnet, GM’s head of the global connected consumer unit,
Mary Chan
, said a prototype of a connected car, which was displayed at the annual CES conference in Las Vegas in January, would soon become a reality.

Apps, such as music streaming services, weather information, maps and radio stations were displayed on prototype models, but it is unclear which apps will initially be available in the cars. In the interview, Ms Chan said she wanted the auto industry to have some control and influence over the development of apps, rather than just allowing the smartphone makers define how apps are created.

GM plans to build some of its own apps, which would focus on diagnostic programs, or other apps aimed at monitoring the performance of the car. However, work would be needed to ensure that interacting with the apps does not become a dangerous distraction for drivers.

Voice controls, like Apple’s Siri, can be modified to work in a safe manner, for example.

Courting app developers

Just as smartphone makers court the interest of app developers to stock the shelves of virtual app stores, GM too has put in place a program to encourage experts to take the time to work on ideas for in-car apps. In January it released its API (application programming interface) and has since attracted a range of well-known developers and smaller independent players numbering 1800, according to Cnet.

Some cars already offer smartphone app-related services. In March Holden announced that its MyLink Infotainment system would come as a standard feature on all Cruze sedan and hatch models, and said the Cruze would be the first small car to offer full compatibility with music streaming service Pandora.

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The system connects to compatible devices via Bluetooth or USB and a large seven-inch colour touch-screen allows the driver to control selected functions including music, radio and telephone.

It said Siri eyes-free voice control would be available from mid year.

BlackBerry’s advantage

The news from GM backs up the turnaround plans flagged by BlackBerry chief executive
Thorsten Heins
at the company’s annual conference last week in Florida. Mr Heins discussed a future for the industry where success would not be measured by the number of phone handsets a company sold, but rather how influential it was in the broader mobile computing world.

Mr Heins has used the automotive sector as a specific example of that, as it already holds a strong position in the nascent industry for in-car mobile services.

BlackBerry’s new smartphone operating system, BlackBerry 10, is based on an operating system it owns known as QNX, which the company says is already in 60 per cent of all motor vehicles that ship with advanced telematics and entertainment systems.

Whether it will be able to maintain that position of strength as the market for these apps grows remains to be seen. It is likely that Google’s Android operating system, Apple’s iOS and even Microsoft’s platform would appeal to some car makers.

“I’m not just looking at the smartphone market. The smartphone to me is a stepping stone towards real mobile computing . . . I’m fully convinced of the mobile computing paradigm," Mr Heins said last week.

“It’s going to come five to seven years from now; we will have a totally different world of how we use these devices. This is where I want to dominate."

GM has yet to announce which models of car will ship with mobile apps available. Earlier this year it also announced it would start selling cars equipped with a 4G LTE connection, which would allow apps to connect to the internet on the go, and also mean tablets and smartphones in the car could be connected and passengers could stream movies and TV shows during a journey.